Conrad Black will be allowed back in Canada after he steps out of a U.S. prison, but it could take years to regain the Canadian citizenship he renounced.

Conrad Black has spent more than three years in U.S. prisons after being convicted of fraud and obstruction of justice in 2007.

By:Bruce Campion-SmithOttawa Bureau Chief, Published on Tue May 01 2012

OTTAWA—Conrad Black will be allowed back in Canada after he steps out of a U.S. prison on Friday but it could take years if the convicted criminal wants to regain the Canadian citizenship he famously renounced.

Immigration officials have granted Black a temporary, one-year resident permit, giving him access to Canada after his release from a low-security facility near Miami, a source confirmed Tuesday.

To get the permit, which is good until May 2013, Black would have been deemed a low-risk to reoffend and not a risk to Canadian society.

The former head of the Hollinger International media empire has spent more than three years in U.S. prisons after being convicted of fraud and obstruction of justice in 2007.

But he said that when he learned earlier this year that Black might be making an application, he gave instructions that the case was to be handled by civil servants — with no interference from his office — to ensure it was done “in a completely independently fashion.”

Speaking in general, Kenney said the department hands out more than 10,000 temporary resident permits a year, many going to foreigners with a criminal record.

“Every year thousands of temporary resident permits are issued by officials . . . to foreign nationals who have had criminal convictions if in their opinion they do not pose a risk to Canadian society,” Kenney said.

Officials with the immigration department and the Canada Border Services Agency will ensure the conviction is for a non-violent offence and that the applicant has a low risk to reoffend and that there’s no danger to the Canadian society, he said.

“They also look at other criteria, such as whether that person has long-standing ties to the country, family connections, humanitarian and compassionate considerations,” Kenney said.

While he was born in Canada, Black gave up his Canadian citizenship in 2001 so he could accept a peerage in the British House of Lords. He was forced to make the move after then-prime minister Jean Chrétien barred him from accepting the title while holding a Canadian passport.

NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair accused the Conservatives of having a double standard for letting “the British criminal Conrad Black” into Canada while barring entry to others.

“There’s obviously one set of standards for Conservative Party insiders and another that applies to everyone else,” Mulcair said.

Kenney cautioned that getting Canadian citizenship is a much tougher hurdle for a foreigner with a criminal record.

“In order to become a citizen, you have to be a permanent resident. You can’t be a permanent resident if you’re a relatively fresh criminal record, you need to go through a period of rehabilitation that typically takes five years,” Kenney said.

“For a foreign national with a criminal record, even one that is non-violent, there it’s a fairly lengthy process to establish Canadian citizenship,” he said.

However, while he has sought temporary permission to visit Canada, Black seemed to rule out reapplying for his citizenship in an interview with the Star last June.

He told the Star’s Mitch Potter he had “absolutely no intention whatsoever” of applying for it again. “I don’t believe there is any difficulty being a temporary resident in Canada,” he said.

Back then he envisaged Canada as an occasional home where he and wife Barbara Amiel might spend time when not in the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, Black’s Order of Canada remains under review by the advisory committee that hands out the honour.

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